Locavore: Deb Morris brings her passion to Barkeater Chocolates

Life without chocolate … What’s the point? So reads the slogan printed on tee shirts sold by Barkeater Chocolates, a slogan faithfully believed by owner/chocolatier Deb Morris. As evidence, consider that when Morris was pregnant with her third child, she developed an aversion to chocolate. “But I forced myself to have it every day,” she says, “so I didn’t lose my taste for it. And it worked.”

That devotion is evident in each truffle Morris makes. She uses the highest quality chocolate, manufactured in the United States whenever possible. Her ingredients are natural and often organic, and she never uses fillers, which she feels affect the purity of the truffles.

Morris opened Barkeater Chocolates in North Creek in April of 2008, working below Café Sarah in an open-room space kept in at temperatures the low 60s. She took classes with a chocolatier in Vermont and a course at a culinary school. Barkeater, named after the Mohawk Indian translation for Adirondack, specializes in creating handmade truffles with explosive flavors, such as cayenne (“The kick at the end is like a chaser,” Morris says) and strawberry wine, both part of The Kickin’ Collection.

Morris’s recipe for chocolate success? “A lot of practice, a lot of reading, a lot of eating, and a lot of trial and error,” she says, adding: “It’s my passion. I love chocolate!” That passion has helped her business grow steadily in the past two years from a few truffle choices to now producing thousands of pounds of chocolates annually.

Each handmade truffle is created by piping flavored ganache into a mold, cooling it, and then pouring chocolate over each before cooling it again. After enough time (white chocolate takes longer to set), Morris literally pops out the truffles and decorates them accordingly. Presentation is a key ingredient. Truffles may be rolled in anything from chocolate shavings to cinnamon or nuts (from a local co-op), or, like the Irish coffee truffle, topped with a coffee bean. “I decorate each truffle differently,” Morris says, “mostly for my own identification but (also) as a way to make sense for people who are biting into it.”

“We’ve expanded beyond truffles,” Morris says. “We have grown-up peanut butter cups, with organic crunchy peanut butter — I like chunky ’cause it’s just cooler. It gives you an extra surprise. We have organic truffles, dairy-free soy truffles, which are also vegan-friendly, and no sugar added truffles. We have hot cocoa mixes. We’ve gotten into niche things like that.”

Morris loves inventing new flavors. “Wasabi came from eating in a Thai restaurant,” Morris says. “We go through our testers — our children and friends. Our kids’ help as inventors and tasters is very important to us.” Morris’ favorite flavor? Orange liquor. “I love the combination of the chocolate with orange — how it resembles orange liquor. It’s just nice.” Be forewarned that there isn’t actually liquor in the liquor-flavored truffles; Morris excels at mimicking the flavor.

Last year, Morris introduced a new item: a one-pound (!) giant truffle egg (white or dark chocolate, or peanut butter). It’s the equivalent of 20-plus truffles and is meant to be shared almost like a slice of cake. The hard chocolate shell is formed in a mold, into which Morris pipes ganache. (A truffle is, by definition, a chocolate outer shell filled with a soft center.) She molds the two sides together with chocolate, and then decorates it with even more chocolate.

While Morris is the sole chocolatier, “I’m her partner — the everything-else-but-the-chocolate guy,” says her husband, Jim, who handles all the social media. Barkeater has 4,500 fans and counting on the Barkeater Chocolate Facebook page, and about 750 followers on Twitter (@Bark_Chocolates). “People we’ve never met have gotten on our wagon and sing our praises,” he says.

Jim is mindful not to solely promote products; he also uses social media to “spread good news,” he says. “It’s a community, not a billboard. We have foursquare and LinkedIn accounts, too, and we do e-mail blasts for specials. All total, there are over 5,000 people we connect with.”

In October of 2010, Barkeater rolled out a new website — they’re very happy with the addition of an online shopping cart — and more plans are in the company’s future. “We want to grow,” Deb says. “We see ourselves being in more retail locations. I’ll continue to work with Sarah (of Café Sarah) on finding new ways to work together. We want to hire more people in the next year and get some more equipment so we can produce more. We’ll always have truffles, but we’re definitely looking to expand our line of confections.”

Morris is intent, however, on maintaining the personal, handmade aspect, and in keeping costs down for the customer as well as her overhead. Truffles can be purchased in single flavor boxes ($9), as part of a collection ($6 for no sugar, up to $16.50 for The Elite Collection, which is organic, fair-trade chocolate in lavender and pomegranate), as party favors, in gift baskets or tins, as well as a 50-piece truffle platter ($90).

Collections have names like The Champagne or Coffee House or Umbrella Collection. The Barkeater operation doesn’t require much except a cooling room, which is on their hopeful list. “Humidity can kill chocolate,” Morris says. “We don’t need a lot of equipment, because we do handmade stuff. It’s the personal touch.”

Then her passion flares. “Everybody should be able to enjoy chocolate,” she says. And when they do eat her truffles, she wants them to think, “It’s nirvana.”

Barkeater Chocolates owner Deb Morris would never contemplate a life without chocolate.

Barkeater also offers opportunities for fundraising to schools, sports teams and other non-profits, which get a percentage of sales). The company also works with wine and liquor stores, pairing a truffle tasting with a wine tasting. Morris also appears at shows and farmers’ markets, and will be at City Center in Saratoga Springs at the annual Adirondack North Country Association Buyer Days Gift Trade Show (as a regional producer where buyers can pick up stock) on April 6-7, 2011.

The giant Truffle Egg is a miracle in chocolate, we had one on our Easter table last year. It was beautiful and delicious! It will become a family tradition as long as Deb keeps making them- Barkeater Chocolate is heavenly.

It is inspirational to see someone follow their passion! These treats are the fantastic proof of that passion. They make classy gifts for any occasion, but the quality, and the unbelievable taste make them hard to give away!

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